Why All Final League Phase Games in the Champions League Kick-off at Same Time

The Champions League format has changed significantly for the 2024/25 season. Four more teams will compete in this year’s edition, increasing the overall number of games from 125 to 189. These format changes are the most significant in football’s most important club competition since 2004.

Last season, there were eight groups of four with the top two teams qualifying for the round of 16. This time around, the expanded ‘league phase’ in the Champions League will see all 36 teams play eight games against as many different opponents to form one giant league table. The top eight automatically qualify for the last 16 while clubs ranked from ninth to 24th duke it out in an intermediary play-off. There will be no passage into the Europa League for any clubs.

To avoid any potential injustice, the final round of league phase fixtures will take place at the same time on Wednesday, 29th January 2025. Here’s how it will work.

18 Champions League Matches to be Played Simultaneously

Arsenal, Liverpool, Barcelona, Real Madrid and more will all be in action

There will be 144 matches in the ‘league phase’ stage of the 2024/25 Champions League. This includes eight matchdays with 18 games per week. As part of the revamped format, the first round of fixtures will see matches played on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. This is known as an ‘exclusive week’, which will be given to all three of UEFA’s European competitions and will see matches from only one competition take place in a dedicated week.

After seven matchdays, all 36 teams will kick off at the same time on Wednesday, 29th January 2025, in the final round of fixtures. As all the competing clubs will be ranked in the same league table, the last set of games will be played simultaneously to ensure that no team gains an unfair advantage by kicking off later and knowing what they need to do to qualify. The same principle is applied on the final day of the Premier League season.

How the New Champions League Format Will Work

More all-star matchups

The 36 teams that qualified for the league phase were put into four pots of nine. Each club was randomly assigned eight opponents by a computer (four home and four away) with two opponents drawn from each pot. Clubs with high coefficient rankings based on their performance in the competition were drawn in the higher pots, including Real Madrid, Liverpool and Manchester City, who were in pot one.

Teams will accumulate points across their eight matches, and at the end of the league phase, the top eight in the table will progress to the round of 16. Clubs ranked between ninth and 24th will play in a two-legged play-off round in February to try and qualify for the next stage. Meanwhile, teams who are in positions 25 to 36 will be eliminated from all continental competitions. The last 16 will be played in March and the knockout stages will be the same format as last year’s Champions League until the final.

League Phase Fixtures for Premier League Clubs

Final rematches for Aston Villa, Liverpool and Man City

Liverpool arguably face the toughest slate of fixtures among the four Premier League qualifiers. Arne Slot’s fast starters have been pitted against Real Madrid, who have won the most Champions League titles in the competition’s history and twice defeated Liverpool in the showpiece fixture over recent years. The Reds are also up against a Bayer Leverkusen side fresh from an unbeaten Bundesliga campaign alongside tough away trips to AC Milan and Girona. Meanwhile, City have a much easier run, opening with arguably their toughest game against Inter Milan in a rerun of the 2023 final.

The Gunners will be looking to improve on last season’s quarter-final exit. They open their campaign with a tough away trip to Europa League holders Atalanta and finish away to Girona, who recorded an impressive third-place position in La Liga last term. Aston Villa will play in Europe for the first time since the 1982/83 season and will be relatively pleased with their fixtures. Unai Emery’s side face Bayern Munich in a repeat of the 1982 final which they famously won before going up against the likes of Juventus, Celtic and Club Brugge.

Information gathered from Transfermarkt.